Deuce on his first day of kindergarten, standing outside of school with his friend Kat

He was fine. I handled it better than I thought I would, probably because I’ve had two years of Headstart to practice saying goodbye.

Going to kindergarten is a milestone for all children. My friend Theresa told me about how her daughter, who is also starting kindergarten this year, was the complete opposite of Deuce – anxious, nervous, and teary-eyed. 😦 I was more like her, but not because I’m afraid of “officially” sending Deuce off into the world (so to speak); but moreso because I’m hoping that I’ve fulfilled my parental responsibility of sufficiently preparing him for the world.

Today, I realize that even though I’ll always be Deuce’s parent, at some point he will become his own man and I won’t be able to parent him as much. That’s when all the years I’ve spent raising him will be tested. His character, integrity and judgement will be tested and tested again, and he will have to deal with his life’s decisions. I hope that I would have done a fine job with helping him build his resolve, patience and determination. We work on these things now, of course, because as a good parent it is (one of) my job(s) to help Deuce draw out and enhance his positive traits and to constructively and respectfully exercise his negative traits. Now that he’s in school he will be introduced to LOTS of others’ habits, mannerisms and behaviors, both good and bad. Today he is stepping beyond the boundary of the carefully picked audience we exposed him to; Deuce will (hopefully) begin to understand that there is a world out there, a world that stretches far beyond what we’ve shown him, that is ready for him to explore. As a good parent, I hope that I have given him the tools he needs to explore the world and thrive in it. Today begins his, and in some ways, my test.

How did you feel about sending your kid(s) off to school? Let me know, leave a comment below!